


remember that (the importance of a name and a face)

by melodious (pen_light)



Category: BTOB
Genre: AU, Angst, Gen, M/M, This is not Happy, What else to tag?, au where btob are criminals, based on btob time vcr, but like thieves, the changjae is subtle but filled with feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-06
Updated: 2017-03-06
Packaged: 2018-09-28 15:45:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10129955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pen_light/pseuds/melodious
Summary: “hyung, what’s more important? a face? or a name?”or; the mission where that question is finally answered





	

**Author's Note:**

> hello!  
> i'm back  
> i wanted to write something for the btob comeback so im sorry if it's rushed 
> 
> inspired from: https://youtu.be/zyhoGiLJfkY
> 
> more notes to clear confusion below
> 
> SUPPORT MOVIE

**i**

sungjae leaned over the furnished table, eyes scanning across the laid out clues. the single light hovering over the scene reflected harshly across his face, making the red strings strewn across even more vibrant. he didn’t wince when the light fell upon his eyes, didn’t wince when the heat blared across only half of his face. a soft hand rose to the pictures, reaching for the one of the purple amethyst, the item of interest. 

 

a soft hum rang through the room. 

 

“beautiful.” 

 

 

 

 

the mission was hardly welcomed among the boys. any mission was, that is. 

 

yet, much to their dismay, they weren’t left with much of a choice. at the briefing, the leader knew he could not reject the task. they were in a dire position, supplies and funds running low. not to mention, his team had been specifically called to work by the provider. the name of his new boss had spiraled a slight chill down his spine, a sense of anxiety threatening to erupt at any moment. 

 

nothing was known about this provider. just a name and the cascade of misfortune that followed it. 

 

dangerous, he had realized. this person was dangerous. 

 

their mission was to steal an amulet, a purple amethyst. the only piece of information given was a picture of the jewel resting on its post. it seemed simple enough.

 

passed around, the faces of indifferences didn’t change. but in their eyes, a glint shone, the beauty of such a piece impossible to simply ignore. 

 

when the image had reached the awaiting third oldest, it was then that a word was said. 

 

“beautiful.”

 

 

 

 

sungjae’s gaze followed the red strings. interconnected, there were playing cards next to which pictures were pasted. 

 

he frowned. 

 

“one, two, three, four, five, six,” he counted. his hand stopped. “seven.”

 

but there were only six. 

 

 

 

 

eunkwang looked at his members. back at their dorms, they were getting a final wink of sleep before their first big job in a while. instinctively, he walked around, making head counts of his companions and their supplies. 

 

changsub lay on his bed, arms folded behind his head. he stared up at his ceiling, eyes unfocused. he could hear the oldest scurry through their home and performing his last check. changsub already knew what eunkwang would find. 

 

six boys.

 

seven sets of supplies. 

 

midst of his own counting of eunkwang’s steps, his mind rewinded, turning to a tape he thought he would never revisit. 

 

“hyung, what’s more important? a face? or a name?”

 

 

 

 

sungjae froze. the pictures stared up at him, playful smiles of notorious criminals he was meant to catch. criminals, he tried to remind himself. these men were criminals. 

 

yet, even then, a flutter warmed his heart. even then, a smile ghosted his lips. even then, his eyes couldn’t leave their pictures. 

 

their names weren’t known. yet, pictures deliberately existed. 

 

suspicion rang bells in his head. nostalgia settled in his gut.

 

dangerous, sungjae thought. these men had to be dangerous to be notorious. but, for some reason, he could only disagree. 

 

 

 

 

“i’m not sure,” changsub had answered then. “i guess it would depend on the situation.”

 

sungjae had nodded, satisfied with the reply. “that’s what i thought too.”

 

 

 

 

**ii**

silently, the boys went through their motions. unnoticed, they carried out each of their responsibilities. 

 

minhyuk and ilhoon took care of the guards. one by one, with the distraction of a single card, minhyuk’s swift attacks knocked them out. casually, ilhoon approached his targets with his lighter, a brief threat escaping his lips. he was easily let in, and within a second of breaching the building, those guards lining the inner atrium were taken out.

 

the perimeter was secured. 

 

 

 

peniel, ever the master of breaking locks, briskly strolled through the first wall around the building. in the atrium, he walked up to a set of doors towards the backside. from the large windows, green lasers crossed each other in front of their item. for the sake of it, peniel jiggled the door handle. when it didn’t give, he extended his arm. a twin key fell into his palm. the lock on the knob turned, and with at the click, peniel smirked. 

 

they were in. 

 

 

 

classily drinking a glass of wine, hyunsik entered from behind peniel. giving the younger a curt nod and soft smile, hyunsik proceeded towards the lasers. he took a sip. relishing the faint taste lingering on his tongue, hyunsik lowered the glass between a beam. the green light refracted, creating a space for him to walk through. hyunsik carefully carried this act out until he was right in front of the jewelry. “it won’t be me taking you,” he whispered as he refracted the last laser, hitting its source and destroying the machine. the green lights fell apart, a blaring sound and blinking red lights filling its space. with one last look at the amulet, hyunsik took his exit. 

 

their mission was secured. 

 

 

 

two men, armed with guns, ran into the room. changsub followed right after, dressed as a commander, a sly trick for the eye. the young guards fell for the costume, following the infiltrator’s instructions to head back to see if the ‘intruder’ was on the run. he chuckled at the naive boys. reaching behind himself, he grabbed a hammer, only to pause. letting it go, he walked straight to the sitting jewel. “i can’t risk hurting a beauty like you,” he mused. instead, he used the end of the hammer to pry apart a face of the glass case. removing it at a slight angle, changsub quickly took the necklace. he smirked. 

 

the mission was complete. 

 

 

 

eunkwang sat in the car, waiting. a laptop in his hands, he monitored the cameras, hacking through the firewalls and rewriting the codes so that once they left, no trace was left behind. pleased at his team’s evident success, he began to conclude the final lines of his code, only to freeze at the view of a certain set of cameras. he cursed out loud.

 

just in a second, their mission was compromised. 

 

 

 

 

eunkwang tried to contact his members, in order to warn them of the danger. the signals of his calls broke halfway, planting a seed of anxiety in his gut. frantically, the leader searched the cameras for his members. 

 

they were surrounded, hands up behind their heads. eunkwang started a head count, counting only four. the fifth, changsub, was found running into his car with a hearty laugh. 

 

“hyung, i go—“ the oldest hushed him, motioning for the jewel. 

 

“stay here,” he instructed, reaching for his cards. “i’m going to distract them. complete my code and wait for the others.” 

 

changsub took one look at the screen and nodded in understanding. he took it and settled on the floor, hunched over so that he was unnoticeable from the windows. eunkwang flashed a quick thumbs up before dashing outside. 

 

he strolled by the scenes where his members were held up. whistling a high pitch, eunkwang spun the necklace around his finger. the guards turned, and within a moment, they chased after him. 

 

eunkwang ran far from the building, reaching the streets near a bar. he switched the amulet with his cards, hiding the stolen item in the secret portion of his jacket. 

 

footsteps neared. they stopped right behind him. “put your hands up.”

 

eunkwang complied. 

 

“turn around.”

 

eunkwang complied again. 

 

he faced a crowd of men behind their chief, a shocked female officer. eunkwang cocked his head at her expression, analyzing her features. she was in a defensive stance, deeply rooted. her face quickly hardened as she brought up her gun, ready to say another command. but eunkwang beat her to it. 

 

“want to see a magic trick?” he asked sweetly, gesturing to the pack of cards in his hand.

 

“where’s the amulet?” 

 

wearing a confused expression, eunkwang asked. “what?”

 

the woman smirked. “don’t play with us. where’s the amulet?”

 

eunkwang stretched his arms. “i assure you i don’t have it. search me.”

 

cocking her head towards the man’s direction, the chief watched her men move forward to check. eunkwang never left the woman’s gaze, a sweet smile with a glinting pair of eyes against ones with fury. 

 

“nothing,” said one of the minions as they fell back. 

 

eunkwang wanted to laugh at the defeat that crossed his opponent’s features. “see?” he chuckled. “there’s nothing there.”

 

a slight crack of static shot through the woman’s ear. she brought her hand up to press the button on her earpiece. she listened, eyes flicking up to eunkwang occasionally. she turned to the guard to her left. 

 

“check to see if there’s a pouch near his collar, towards his back.”

 

eunkwang’s insides froze. he allowed himself to be searched, praying that nothing would be found. but a concealment compartment can only work if the searching party had no idea of its existence. 

 

sure enough, eunkwang heard a rip and a faint jingle. to his horror, the guard held up the amulet. 

 

“ma’am, it’s here.”

 

now it was her turn to be smug. but eunkwang wasn’t done just yet. 

 

“i-i-i…” he laughed nervously, feigning shock. “where did that come from?!”

 

a strong shove pushed him against the nearby wall. cold handcuffs were tightened mercilessly around his wrists. 

 

“you have the right to remain silent,” the chief hissed into his ear. eunkwang glared at her, ready to remain in character and protest against the injustice. 

 

but a shrill beep from her walkie talkie interrupted him. 

 

“chief, we’ve got the others. the van was right where he told us it would be.”

 

the lady stared at eunkwang with a devilish grin. “ _he’s_ very helpful. isn’t he?” the question was suggestive, asking eunkwang as if he knew the perpetrator on the other end. 

 

“i have no idea who you’re talking about.”

 

the chief howled in laughter. 

 

 

 

 

**iii**

 

sungjae looked up from his screen, dark circles underneath his eyes weighing his complexion down. the files, notes, and clues given to him of the six boys were scattered all over. directly to his right, a pile of new and old files loomed over him, glaring at him the trivial work he would always be given. the chief had simply explained the situation to him. the case was a one time thing, a scenario that an extra opinion was needed on. 

 

sungjae sighed, plopping his head in his arms. the work was endless. thus, his only two locations were his ratty apartment or his office. 

 

it was too much of a hassle to leave at all. the door of his office was to be locked at all times to protect the ‘high class information’. even though sungjae had the key and permission to leave, he hardly found the motivation to do so. 

 

sungjae turned his head on his cheek. picking up the nearest picture, he stared at it until his head spun. 

 

a rustling outside caught his attention, causing him to raise his head up slightly. he frowned. 

 

a red haired man with worry creasing his features was looking back as if he were checking for something. sungjae took a good look at his suit, suspenders, his empty gun caddies, and the open handcuffs around his wrists. his eyes widened. straightening out, he reached for the nearby phone, only to stop when he glanced back to see the man looking at him in surprise. 

 

sungjae’s eyes dashed between the phone and the man. letting the device go, he turned to check the other’s reaction. 

 

the shock remained. 

 

frowning, the officer took a good look at the criminal. there was something familiar, incredibly familiar about him. sungjae just couldn’t pinpoint exactly what. 

 

the faint sounds of rowdy officers in the distance startled the duo. cursing, the red haired man brushed his hands through his hair in frustration. 

 

the action stirred a such a strong nostalgic feeling in sungjae that the boy had to take a moment to rebalance himself. he shared one last look with the man before the other dashed down the hall in the direction he had intended to do so. 

 

the wave of familiarity sunk deeper. sungjae began to feel sick and weak. he felt faint. mind spinning, he looked down to the picture he had stared at moments ago. 

 

it was him, the man who had just left. 

 

 

 

 

**iv**

 

changsub remained seated. his head was hung back, eyes closed, and hands clasped. the light was blaring at him even through his eyelids. the air was muggy. the handcuffs were digging into his wrists. time was slow, and no one came. 

 

bored, he whistled a soft tune. he smiled sadly, recalling the song and the person who loved it. 

 

the door turned and changsub turned to face his visitor. 

 

as they entered, his face fell and the song died down. 

 

 

 

 

the feeling lurked in his gut, soon moving to his heart and mind, infecting his thoughts throughout. sungjae was reeling, spinning, falling into a pit of desperation.

 

and he didn’t know why. 

 

there was something, something very important he was forgetting. it was like that feeling where he would think that he had left something at home he couldn’t remember, only infinitely worse. 

 

frustrated, sungjae glared at the place where the man had been standing. everything was fine before he had arrived. sungjae yanked at his bottom drawer and snatched the keys. standing abruptly, sungjae beelined past the door and towards the interrogation room. 

 

he was annoyed and confused. and he needed answers. 

 

 

 

 

after weeks of frantically searching across the universe for the one they had lost, after weeks of living off of extreme rations for they weren’t accepting any missions, after weeks of tears and regret, the boys had fallen. they were merely humans after all. the emotional and physical turmoil caused upon them from the loss of their youngest took the heaviest toll on them. eunkwang fell ill first, then hyunsik, and then the others followed. at risk of losing another, the search was paused briefly and a mission was undertaken to replenish their supplies and health. 

 

that mission went terribly wrong, leading changsub to where he was at that point. 

 

in front of their seventh member. 

 

“sungjae?” he broke out, trying to still his hammering heart and trembling hands. 

 

the boy frowned slightly, thumping towards the interrogation seat. he fell in the chair, directly in front of changsub. 

 

the older stared at the youngest’s complexion, drinking in the details he had forgotten. what he imagined should’ve been was different. the brightness in sungjae’s face was dim. pits of darkness pooled underneath his eyes. his features were sunken and thin. the healthy skin was pale. sweat faintly lined sungjae’s forehead. changsub saw the sickness in the dazed brown eyes.

 

“sun—“

 

“how,” the deep voice spoke out. “how do you know my name?”

 

changsub held his breath. 

 

distraught, sungjae looked straight at him. “am i supposed to know you?”

 

changsub’s mind flatlined. “sungjae-ah, ar-are you okay?” he leaned over, closer. 

 

the reminiscent nausea intensified. sungjae could feel his eyes water, but not enough to cause tears down his cheeks. 

 

“no.” 

 

changsub blinked, allowing his younger to speak more. 

 

“no. i’m forgetting something. i know that i’m forgetting something. i know that i know you and the others. but i don't know why. i don't know what i am forgetting.” the desperate ramble broke as sungjae took a shaky breath. “i don’t know what i left behind.”

 

_me. us._ changsub wanted to say. _you didn’t leave. you were taken. from me. from us._ he wanted to scream it, he wanted to say it over and over again until the other remembered. 

 

“i’m sorry,” was all he could say. 

 

“what’s your name?”

 

changsub shook his head. “i can’t tell you that. you’d be in danger.”

 

sungjae nodded, wiping his eyes. “i’m sorry for this.”

 

“me too.”

 

the door to the interrogation room opened once again, revealing the chief officer. she strolled quickly to the youngest, a hand gripping his shoulder. the squeeze was a threatening gesture hidden in reassurance. 

 

changsub and sungjae read it thoroughly. 

 

“sungjae,” she started sweetly, dragging him up. changsub gritted his teeth. “why are you here?”

 

“i got curious, ma’am.” he bowed apologetically. “sorry, it won’t happen again.” without another word, he headed towards the exit. 

 

behind him, the woman slowly smirked upon reading changsub’s body language. “you don’t seem well, sungjae.” 

 

the youngest froze, wracking his mind for an answer. when he turned to meet his boss, he gulped at the dark gaze. 

 

the chief stepped forward, not too far from changsub. “you forgot to take your medicines, didn’t you?”

 

sungjae’s eyes widened. “i’m sorry, i’ll go take it now.” 

 

the lady smiled. “good. it’s only meant to _fix_ you, sungjae. you want to feel better, don’t you?”

 

“yes,” sungjae bowed again. “i’ll go take it now.”

 

the chief amusedly turned to changsub, relishing the anger steaming off of his features. sungjae left without another look at the older. without a word, the woman followed in suit. 

 

changsub’s restrain on his hands drew blood from his wrists. 

 

 

 

 

**v**

somehow, a frenzy of events led the six of them to the roof to wait for an arranged ride back home. peniel had managed to pick the locks, releasing them. apparently, according to ilhoon, a guard had informed him of a ride on the way.

 

“sketchy,” hyunsik had commented. ilhoon had shrugged. 

 

“we don’t really have anything else.” 

 

hyunsik hummed in agreement. “this was our second disaster mission. two in a row, wow.”

 

no one said anything. peniel moved closer to hyunsik in response, comfortingly wrapping his arms around the older. 

 

among minhyuk and changsub, an elephant stood between them. eunkwang was the first to notice minhyuk’s discomfort. 

 

“everything okay?” the question attracted attention from the whole group. 

 

minhyuk knew he couldn’t hide it. and he had no intentions to do so. “i don’t know how to say this,” he started. “i think i saw sungjae.”

 

“what?” ilhoon said, looking around to read their reactions. “are you sure it was him?”

 

minhyuk sighed, shaking his head. “that’s the thing. i’m not su—“

 

“it was him.” everyone turned to look at changsub. “he came into my interrogation room.”

 

eunkwang’s eyes darted between his two members. “where is he?” he stood, ready to go back. “we have to get him back. why didn’t you tell us any time sooner?!” an angry tune rung from his words. 

 

the next words were probably the hardest thing for changsub to say. “we can’t. it’ll only put him in danger.”

 

“what do you mean?” peniel questioned. minhyuk stepped towards eunkwang, resting a hand on his shoulder. 

 

“he doesn’t remember us,” changsub croaked out, trying his best to keep his composure. minhyuk’s head hung. 

 

“i suspected it, but didn’t think it would be true. he stared at me in confusion.”

 

ilhoon look over to the building. “what is this place?”

 

“not your neighborhood police station, that’s for sure,” hyunsik muttered grimly. 

 

eunkwang’s eyes darted back and forth, gears in his mind turning into overdrive. “i… we can’t just leave him like this…” he looked up at his members. “but i see where changsub is coming from. we have no supplies or money. us going back could potentially put him in more danger.” he took a deep breath. 

 

“this isn’t easy.” he stated, a sad gaze trained to the floor. minhyuk leaned closer, draping his arm around the leader. the others followed, eventually leading to a large group embrace. 

 

“we will come back for him. one way or the other,” eunkwang finally let out, confirming their next mission. no one objected. 

 

a whirring was heard in the distance. the copter neared, carefully lowering in front of the six. one by one, they entered the copter. 

 

changsub was the last to board. static cracked behind him, a message through the walkie-talkie ripping through the roar of the blades. wide eyed, the man turned to see sungjae just standing there, watching them. 

 

“sungjae!” eunkwang exclaimed. the youngest looked up and smiled with a blink. just like deja vu, changsub felt the presence of the old sungjae in front of him. 

 

_we’ll be back_ , he thought, wanting to say it. he turned, ready to set into the copter. just as he did, the walkie talkie spoke again, addressing the chief, a name following it. 

 

the six of them froze. the copter began to rise. 

 

“‘kwangie,” minhyuk said, meeting the leader’s eyes. “what did you say the mission provider’s name was?”

 

eunkwang gulped. “the one that walkie talkie called out.”

 

changsub’s head whipped to look at sungjae still standing on the roof. the youngest broke out a card, playing a cheeky trick. he glanced down to his collar, looking up and sending a wink. 

 

changsub reached up to feel the secret pocket next to his collar. it wasn’t empty. 

 

shocked, the man felt the amulet fall into his palms, a crinkle of paper accompanying it. shaky hands unraveled the note. 

 

_you’re changsub, right? tell the other hyungs to enjoy the ride back._

 

 

 

 

 

 

**vi**

_“hyung, what’s more important? a face? or a name?”_

 

both, changsub learned. you can’t compromise one for the other. missing one will cost you. 

 

he learned it the hard way. 

 

it cost them sungjae. 

 

 

 

 

 

**vii**

 

_to be continued…_

**Author's Note:**

> \- yes, i will continue this based on the response (i hope to incorporate the movie mv and the short films)  
> \- yes, i have no idea what the secret pocket is its fiction though  
> \- yes, i know there are some plot holes so plz ask ill be happy to answer (this was rushed i have too much school work rip)
> 
> also, i just happened to stumble across sookyungjae's twitter the day she read my other changjae fic? she liked it? omg i loved her fic too? if you're reading this, i'd be happy to befriend you (or any of my other readers too) too aha but my only means of contact are my wattpad account or my private tumblr 
> 
>  
> 
> thank you for reading!
> 
> SUPPORt MOVIE


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